The story

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Tuesday said the United States has tried to thwart his political ambitions and, more recently, failed to condemn a pro-autonomy movement that uses "terrorist" tactics.

The 48-year-old Morales, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, described privatization as the cause of the world's financial crisis, and credited his nationalization of Bolivia's petroleum industry as a boon to the nation's economy.

"In 2005, before I was president, the state of Bolivia had only $300 million from hydrocarbons," he said. "Last year, 2007, the Bolivian state -- after the nationalization, after changing the law -- Bolivia received $1,930 million. For a small country with nearly 10 million inhabitants, this allows us to increase the national economy." Read full article »